“The dreamer whispered, Just once let something happen.”

“Again, please,” she whispered.(Allie to Wes)”

“How do you know what a rock star feels like, Ada May? Have you ever been a rock star? I don't think so,' Beth Ann said.'I was just guessing.''Well, not me. I'm not saying I feel like something when I don't have any idea what that feels like and neither do you.”

“What’s the matter, Rea?” he said, still sounding half asleep.“What makes you think . . .?”“You wouldn’t have called this late unless you need to talk. Give me a minute to pull my jeans on and I’ll go out in the hallway so I won’t wake the other guys.”Reagen heard several men moan or swear in the background. When times were good, Noah had a room to himself, but when times were bad in the road game he’d sometimes bunk on the floor in someone else’s room.“I’m listening,” he said after a minute.She wanted to hear his voice more than talk, but that would sound strange, so she told him about her dream and how frightened she’d been.“I wish I were there to hug you, Rea. We could cuddle up. You could tell me everything while I slept.”“I wish you were too.” Neither one said anything for a few breaths, and then she whispered, “I miss you so much sometimes. They’d probably never be as close as they’d been in high school. He was a different man and she’d changed as well, but she still missed the Noah who was half kid, half man.“What are you wearing?” he whispered, and for a moment she swore she could hear him smiling.“Shut up.”He laughed. “Just asking. Who knows, one night I might get lucky and you’d be just out of th shower.”“You never give up trying to make me blush.” Her bad mood had vanished.“Come on, Rea, give me a break. I’ve been wondering what you like naked for years. If I ever get too old to wonder, I hope you just shoot me.”“Go to bed, Noah.”“Good night, Rea. Maybe when you go back to dreaming, you’ll dream of me.”“Not likely.” She closed the phone, thinking how he always had enough magic in his pocket to change her mood even if he didn’t have enough to change his dreams.”

“Times like this are like muddy water, Rea, you just got to keep moving through it until you get to the other side.”

“Did you tell her it was just until all was safe, or did you promise her forever?” Victoria shook her head. “Sounds to me like you’ve got some proposing to do before you’re really a married man. Maybe a few days alone will loosen your tongue and make that knee of your bend easier.”

“Ronelle knew Dallas would not stay to eat. She often reminded Ronelle never to eat anything at potluck dinners or bake sales. One person hating the town could wipe out the entire population with poison. Looking around, she saw everyone eating and had a horrible thought. If they all died, that would leave only her mother and her in town. While her mother stopped to talk to Willie Davis, Ronelle slipped a piece of corn bread into her pocket. It would be all in crumbs by the time she got home, but she planned to eat it. Just in case.”